Church Planting Weekend: How Can Your Church Engage

This June, CNC is joining with other Converge churches across the country to celebrate and talk about church planting during their worship service. The focus is on multiplication…what it is, why it’s important, and why your church is involved (or should be involved).

No matter your church size or history, we want to see all of our churches involved in this crucial ministry.

How can my church engage in church planting?

Intentionally Pray

This is more than just the “Sunday School answer.” Bathe this question in prayer. Ask God what it means to your church at this time when “the harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.” How can your church specifically “pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workings into his harvest?” Faithfully pray that God will work in your church to engage in church planting.

Broaden Your Perspective

Where is there a need for additional Gospel witnesses? What are the ways people might respond to the message of Jesus Christ that reflect a different methodology from your church. Henry Blackaby encourages us to “Find out where God is working and join Him there.”

An easy way to broaden your perspective is to invite a church planter to share their vision with your board or church. Allow them to share their experience with you…their vision and the value of church planting. Be reminded that the mission we are all on is bigger than just one church.

Find Partners

Church planting is a team sport on every level. It’s rare for a church planter to go plant all alone. It’s also rare for churches that are involved in parenting new church plants to also go it alone. This partnering can happen in many forms. The list includes prayer, encouragement, financial support, gifts in kind, people resources and more. They are all valuable and appreciated, but their greatest value is in the relationship.

Healthy relationships are not one-sided. The benefit not only rest with the new church, but also for all the churches involved. Is finding a church or planter to partner with the next step of your church planting engagement?

Participate

Building upon prayer, the broadening of perspective, and identify how you might be a partner, take the next step and participate in the planting of a new church. This participating can happen in many ways:

• Financially support the church planting ministry of CNC with a one-time gift or regular support.
• Build church planting as a line-item in your church budget.
• Support a church planter through prayer and financial support.
• Adopt an existing church plant and find ways to encourage and serve the new church.
• Cooperate with other churches in your area in planting a church.
• Encourage members from your church to be sent out as missionaries to help launch a new church.
• Discover, develop, and deploy a team from your church to start a daughter church.

How can your church engage church planting?

While the answer will be different for each church, the opportunities are the same to meet the ever growing need to impact our communities, towns, and cities for Christ.

Our hope is for all CNC churches to seek to join the Lord of the harvest in all the places where He is working.

For more information on Church Planting Weekend or church planting in CNC, contact Joel Nelson.